"It has been said that knowledge is power. Many have accepted that as truth and have dedicated their lives to this pursuit. Only those who truly dedicate themselves to this quest learn the truth. Knowledge is power but much must be sacrificed to obtain this knowledge. This is why the old say has a different meaning to those he fallow it. Knowledge is power, but it is also dangerous."
The story begins in Ponyville's library where Twilight just received an unexpected letter from Princess Celestia. Twilight opened the letter and was happy to read that Celestia had a new assignment for her, and a special one at that.
"So Twilight, you gonna tell me what Celestia wants you to do?" Spike continued his morning chore of placing books back on the shelves.
"Oh Spike, its absolutely amazing. Princess Celestia wants me to have my own student." Twilight begins to dance with glee. "I cant wait to share my knowledge with a fresh young mind who is ready to learn the ways of friendship."
Twilight began flying around the library trying to find books and objects to help break the ice with her new student. Spike continues shelving books when he notices the letter Celestia sent was rather short. He started reading it and was shocked to find that the letter said nothing about the student other than his name being Neon and that he would be moving into the library later that day.
"Twilight, don't you think this is a bit sudden? I mean do you have any idea how to teach some pony?" Spike shelved his last book and went to find his bag of gems for an early morning snack.
"You worry too much Spike. Now I need you too go grab a few things before he gets here." Twilight threw Spike a small list of items she wanted him to get.
"Lets see, quills, parchments, ink..." Spike continued reading as he headed out the door when he stopped suddenly. "Are you sure you want all this food?"
"We have no idea what he eats so its best to be prepared for anything. Now hurry, we don't know when he will arrive."
Spike left with his wagon as Twilight set up the guest room. She made sure to have extra pillows and plenty of blankets as the nights were getting colder. As Twilight cleaned up the library she was struck with a wonderful idea. Why have a small lunch when she could throw a welcome party. Once she finished up the library she flew outside to find her friends and see if they wouldn't mind helping her make her new student feel welcomed.
Several hours passed as all of Twilights friends gathered inside the library with excitement and anticipation. All of Twilight's friends were giving her advice about teaching when Spike returned with the last item Twilight wanted. Exhausted and out of breath, Spike gave one last heave of his wagon to get the massive record player inside the library.
"That's *huff huff* it. I need *huff huff* a break." Spike crawled across the floor and fell asleep on the first pillow he found.
"Now listen here dearie, when teaching a young colt make sure to be strict but leave room for praise when earned lest they end up so free willed like Sweetie Belle." Rarity dawned a elegant looking dress for the arrival of the new student.
"No no no you have to make learning fun and exciting. It works for the Cake twins every time." Pinkie Pie brought some of her party supplies in the event things got boring but already used most of them shortly after arrival.
"Pinkie Pie, that might work for babies but I don't think that's the best way to teach a kid. Now one way to keep his attention is to make sure to show off some rad awesome spells here and there to let him get excited about what he has to look forward to." Rainbow Dash was just as excited as ever, mainly because she had someone new to show off to.
"Well um Twilight, perhaps a gentle and caring approach is best I mean, if you think it would work. That's how I tend to teach my little animal friends." Fluttershy's advice didn't seem to hold much considering how little Angel was listening to her.
"Well I don't know much 'bout teachin but I know Twilight here is gon do great. Now when is this little feller gonna get here? I really need to get some rest for tomorrow. We still have several acres of apples to git before the cold weather rolls in." Applejack finished her glass of apple cider as Twilight started to worry.
"Applejack has a point. The sun is almost down and he still hasn't got here. I am starting to worry. He lives in somewhere two towns over so even if he walked he should have gotten here by now. I guess he wont be here till tomorrow." Twilight looked really saddened as her friends started to leave.
"I cant leave yet, no pony has said anything about my dress yet." Fluttershy gave Rarity a quick compliment as the walked out the door. Rainbow Dash finished off a tray of apple fritters before flying home.
"Hey Twilight, since he didn't show up to this party can I throw him another one tomorrow? Please please please please?" Twilight nodded and Pinkie Pie dashed off to start preparing a new party.
Applejack stayed back to help Twilight feel better. "Listen here Twilight, I don't know much 'bout teachin but bring him by the farm tomorrow and see if you cant teach the little feller about hard work and responsibility."
"I guess so. Thanks Applejack." Twilight was able to flash a warm smile before Applejack left but it soon faded.
"Owe great, what kind of student doesn't show up on the first day? This is gonna be so much harder than I thought." Twilight was so caught up in her frustration that she didn't notice a knock at her door. "I don't know anything about him and I am probably gonna have to watch out for the little colt so he doesn't get into any trouble."
Finally she heard the knock at the door and rushed to open it. Twilight was so excited to meet her new student. So many thoughts ran through her head in the few moments it took the door to open. Sadly what stood in front of Twilight was never in her head. There stood a young dragoness with bright red scales.
"Greetings Princess Twilight Sparkle, My name is Ruby." Ruby bowed to Twilight and let herself inside. She spoke with confidence and had a wonderfully smooth and soft voice. She turned back and looked outside into the darkness. Suddenly she grew angry.
"Neon! Get in here now!" She basically roared into the night as a figure emerged from the darkness and stumbled his way into the library.
He was bright grey unicorn with long red hair that reached down his head without covering his face. He looked very scrawny and seemed to be about the same age as Twilight. The moment he finally made eye contact with Twilight his eyes resembled emeralds on snow. His face began to grow red as he and Twilight watched each other.
"Introduce yourself already you idiot. You're in front of royalty." Ruby's words finally reach Neon as he finally snapped out of his daze.
"MY NAME IS NEON AND IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE YOUR STUDENT PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" In his nervousness he accidentally shouted everything he said. Suddenly he went to bow and ended up slamming his face in the floor, spilling all of his stuff out of his saddle bag. He began to panic as he quickly scrambled to gather his things up. Once he stood back his face was bright red from embarrassment.
"I NEED A MOMENT!" Suddenly he dashed into the closest room in the library and slammed the door behind him. Twilight could only stand and try to contemplate what had just happened. As Neon ran Twilight caught a quick glimpse of his cutiemark and couldn't help but feel like she had seen it before.
"I am very sorry, he is very shy." Ruby seemed like she was use to this already which made Twilight worry about him.
"Is he going to be alright? Should we go in after him?" Twilight had never met some pony like him before. He was a very strange colt, especially for a unicorn.
"He just needs a little time. He was already womped from when we arrived 3 hours ago. He saw you had guests and got all wompy. and ran towards the forest." Ruby grabbed a small black bag that fell out of Neon's bags and started snacking on the contents. They appeared to be sapphires.
"What do you mean by wompy?" Twilight had never heard of that word before and Ruby had already used it twice.
"Its a word me and Neon made up to for when he has a panic attack. He will be fine in the morning and we can start over princess. Is there anything want to know before tomorrow?" Ruby sits and continues eating from her bag. Twilight thinks it over and figures this would be the easiest way to learn what Neon has been through.
"Well I feel weird talking to you about this instead of him but why is he so.....?" Twilight was trying to find a nice way to describe him but it was rather difficult considering his momentary freak-out.
"He isn't good around other ponies. The only ones he ever talked to personally is his dad and his two older brothers. He spends every moment of his day studying in his father's massive library. Most of the time that is where we sleep. The only reason Celestia knew of him was because he got in trouble for turning the sky pink for me birthday."
Twilight was stunned. She had heard about that event but had no idea it was done by one unicorn. Maybe he had more potential then she first thought. "Well that's rather amazing. I am rather concerned about his shyness. Is there anyway I can talk to him without scaring him?"
"Treat him like how Fluttershy would treat a wounded animal. Be calm, quiet, and no sudden movements. Also introduce Pinkie Pie last, he is no where near ready for that level of excitement." Twilight was concerned by how much Ruby knew of her and her friends.
"How do you know so much about us?" Ruby continued eating as though that bag she had was bottomless. Ruby continued looking around the library as though she was trying to find something.
"Celestia sent us copies of all those letters you and your friends wrote to her. It was the only way Neon agreed to come and learn from you. Now I have a question for you Twilight." Twilight had no idea Princess Celestia would send those letters to some other pony.
"Sure you can ask me anything. So long as I can ask you more about Neon." Twilight made some tea and re-heated the snacks from earlier.
"Where is your dragon? In those letters you mentioned a little dragon named Spike and I have let to see him." Ruby grabbed some of the tea and gulped it down rather quickly. She then continued eating the sapphires by the clawful.
"Spike is sleeping. I kinda worked him rather hard today setting up for the welcoming party." Twilight pointed over to pillow that he fell asleep on. He had a blanket covering him but the tip of his tail was sticking out. "He was my first friend and is my best assistant ever. I'm sure you and Neon are just as close."
"Yeah we are." Ruby finally stopped eating and started grinning. "He always talks about the day he hatched me. Celestia sent my egg to the house to see if Neon was ready to become a student. Sadly he couldn't hatch me when needed. That night a bad storm was raging and Neon was terrified of storms. He said after a very loud crack of thunder he panic and accidentally hatched me."
A single tear fell from her face as she got another glass of tea. She gulped it down faster than the first one and continued her story.
"He said that the moment he saw my face, it was the first time he didn't feel alone. He said that shortly after another crack of thunder made me start crying. He didn't like me crying so he used his magic and moved the storm away. The first thing I remember was see the moon shine on us after he cleared the night sky. Ever since then we have been inseparable." Ruby put her bad of gems down and let out a big yawn.
"Maybe you should go to bed, its getting rather late. The guest room is over there." Ruby looked over at the open door and noticed the bed inside.
"If that's the guest room what room is Neon in now?" Ruby and Twilight looked over at the door Neon ran into. It gain a big crack in the middle after Neon violently slammed it.
"That's a closet. I am surprised he hasn't come out yet." Ruby walked over to the closet and opened the door slowly.
"He is already asleep. We have sleep in the library so he can sleep just about anywhere. We will see you in the morning." Ruby walked in and closed the door.
Twilight flew up to her bed and gazed at the moon. Now that she had some perspective on who Neon really is she knew it would only be a matter of time before he became her friend. Twilight tried to go to sleep but something was still bothering her. The glimpse of his cutiemark still burned her mind. She knew she had seen it before but couldn't place her hoof on it. Eventually she fell asleep and the new day was awaiting her and Neon.
Twilight awoke to the fresh warm sun on her face and the smell of pancakes. Twilight got up to see Spike helping Neon with breakfast by setting the table. Twilight was happy to see Neon actually smiling and having fun when suddenly reality hit as Twilight realized a stove and a table somehow made their way into the library.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Twilight's shriek startled Neon and with a flash of white light he vanished. Spike just glared vacantly at Twilight as he finished setting the table.
"Way to go Twilight, you made him explode." Just as Twilight flew down the closet door opened and Neon poked his head out and surveyed the room. As he made eye contact with Twilight he slowly walked into the room with Ruby asleep on his back. He gently placed Ruby down near the stove and sat at the table without saying a word.
"Sorry for scaring you like that. Are you feeling better?" Neon nodded as he levitated the pancakes onto the plates. He looked over at Ruby who was just starting to awaken.
"She always wakes up when exposed to heat. I wonder if its a dragon thing?" Neon looked at Spike who had joined him at the table. Spike just shrugged since he had no idea. Neon was talking surprisingly calm for someone who just freaked out and teleported into a closet.
"I am the one who should be apologizing Princess Twilight. I was rude yesterday by running away and hiding in what I later realized was a closet. Now please join me for an apology breakfast." Twilight reluctantly sat down as Ruby joined them. Just as she wiped her eye she noticed Spike for the first time and had no idea how to react. She just sat there with an open expression. She was crushing hard.
"Well Neon, this is... nice. I have a few questions thought, small ones of course. First is where did the stove come from? Second, where did this table come from? Third, and most important, are you alright?" Neon levitated the maple syrup bottle over his pancakes and begins the squeeze it.
"Well to answer your questions in order I made it, I made it, and I am actually terrified but am hiding it much better than I thought I would." Spike dropped his fork and jerked forward towards Neon.
"You made all this?" I thought you just stole it from somewhere." Spike still had yet to notice Ruby staring at him.
"I'm with Spike on this. Its not possible to just make things." Twilight finally started eating and realized the food was amazing.
"Twilight, I assumed you would be more open to the concept of alchemy. I merely collected enough raw material from the surrounded forest for the table and used rocks to make the stove. I first read about it in Transmutation: From Nature To Natural by Silver Horn the Magical."
"I've read *gulp* that too." Twilight grabbed the book from the shelf and opened it to a red page. "I did find some things that seems wrong."
A faint sparkle seemed to shine in Neon's eye. "Like on page 24 when she mistakes she mistakes hydrogen peroxide for hydrogen dioxide? "
"And on page 34 when she gets the wrong atomic weight of Cobalt?" Both were leaning towards one another and were growing closer.
"And on the last page where she accidentally mis-spelled her name as Sliver?" Both realized that they were getting far too excited. Neon sat back down and ruffled through his bag.
"Well Neon, I am happy to finally have a friend that knows his way around a book." Neon suddenly froze and Ruby broke from her daze.
"Do not say friend. You might have freaked him out a little." Neon slowly calmed down and continued eating. Everything became really quiet until Spike finally broke the silence.
"So Neon, what do you want Twilight to teach you first? She knows plenty of cool spells." Neon finished off his food and opened his bag.
"I had forgotten something yesterday." Neon's horn glowed as a book levitated from is bag. "I read that it is tradition to present a gift to those who agree to keep one in their home. I figured you would enjoy this book."
As it landed on the table Twilight recognized the emblem on the cover. The red shield with the white at the center, the emblem of the great minded Scribe Archive. He was known for having explored more ancient unicorn ruins than any other pony. Once he grew old he settled down and began his magical research where he developed volumes of advanced and artful spells that baffled the greatest minds in Equestria.
Twilight nearly exploded with excitement when she saw the book. "I haven't seen this book by Scribe Archive before. Where did you possible find it?" Twilight quickly realized that she could have accidentally freaked out Neon but noticed he just looked sad.
"Well you won't find it anywhere else. It's a one of a kind non published volume re-guarding alchemy. Its where I learned my tricks." Neon stood up and carried his bag back to the guest room.
"How in Equestria did you get this?" Twilight looked up to see Neon's reaction but instead noticed something else. She finally remembered where she had seen his cutie mark before. It was the same emblem on the book.
"He took it right off his desk before we left. Dear old dad won't notice it is missing for about a year." Ruby started collecting the plates and placing them outside on the ground. "I can only guess you didn't know his full name was Neon Archive. Son of the great Scribe Archive and blah blah blah. Frankly I am tired of hearing about it."
"Well I am honored to be teaching you, especially considering your background. I am sure you have a lot of potential. But we wont learn much inside so why don't we go see Ponyville?" Neon shuttered and slowly turned back towards Twilight.
"You, you, you, *gulp* go talk to others? I, I, I, don't know about that." Twilight threw her arm around him and opened the door. The warm sunlight almost hurt Neon's face.
He slowly peeked outside and looked at all various ponies. He had never seen that many ponies in his life and was starting to panic. For some reason though, he was able to calm himself rather quickly.
"Fine, but what will Ruby and Spike do in our absence?" Ruby started to blush and inched closer to Neon. "If I am correct there is a jewel field to the east. Ruby, why not let Spike take you there so you can get some tasty gems?" Ruby clawed at Neon's leg but he just chuckled at her.
"That sounds like a great idea." Spike jumped up and ran to the door. He grabbed Ruby's claw and headed outside. She instantly started to blush and was left speechless. "I have this big mining cart near Rarity's place that can hold a bunch of gems. Lets go." Spike ran off with Ruby as Neon stood at the door.
"This is the first time since she hatched that we have been apart. I hope she will be alright." Neon started to walk until a pony walked near him. Then he darted back behind Twilight. "Are you sure we have to go somewhere?"
"Neon, you have to learn to be around others if I am ever going to teach you anything." Twilight had never seen a pony so scared of others. This was going to be a challenge.
Twilight stared into Neon's eyes and could see he was truly afraid. She extended her hoof and ushered him to her side. "There is no need to be scared. I will be with you every step of the way."
Neon blushed and started walking. Twilight say a small smile form on his face and knew that the hard first step was over.